Nursery Manager

Nursery Manager

Department: Nursery Management

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Fleet, Hampshire

Reporting To: Lea-Anne Dean

Compensation: £40,581 - £61,818 / year

Description

As a Nursery Manager at N Family, you'll lead a passionate team of expert Educators to deliver amazing learning experiences, brilliant customer service, and a thriving team culture. You'll take care of everything that keeps the nursery running smoothly - from daily operations to compliance - while inspiring your team to give every child the best start in life. Together, you'll help drive our Wildly Important Goals (WIG), as we aim to become the most loved early years education group in the UK.

Your key responsibilities

• Create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive as a team.
• Lead your team to deliver outstanding education in line with the N Pedagogy and Curriculum.
• Be a people leader - recruiting, developing, and nurturing a brilliant team.
• Champion safeguarding and wellbeing, acting as Designated Safeguarding Lead when needed.
• Take ownership of your nursery's performance, delivering commercial success while maintaining our quality.
• Keep our nursery shining - overseeing our health and safety, risk assessments, and EYFS compliance to make sure everything runs smoothly and safely.
• Engage with the local community and key partners, proudly representing N Family and building lasting connections.
• Champion continuous improvement, keeping practice fresh, creative, and Outstandingly Outstanding.
• Bring positivity, flexibility, and passion to everything you do, helping N Family go beyond every single day.

Qualifications

• Two years of previous experience as a Nursery Manager (required).
• Experience of large or multi-site nurseries (desirable).
• Experience in retaining and hiring new team members.
• Knowledge of local authority and regulatory requirements and inspection processes across the UK.
• Some experience in managing budgets, including capacity and team deployment, management of performance, and reporting metrics.
• A background in leading consistent and exceptional customer service.
• Full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification (or above). A Level 6 qualification is desirable.
• Paediatric First Aid (12 hours), First Aid at Work, and a commitment to remain compliant.
• Relevant safeguarding/child protection training and be willing to update that training regularly.
• A genuine passion for education and changing the lives of children.
• A love for building and maintaining strong parent partnerships.
• A solid decision-maker with the ability to support and achieve our WIGs (Wildly Important Goals).

Benefits

• Competitive salary - £40,581 - £61,818 per annum
• Performance bonus - Up to 25% of base salary + £1000.
• The N Partnership - Our shares programme, giving all our managers motivation and rewards for delivering our plan and growth ambitions.
• Industry-leading holiday allowance - Up to 38 days, including a personal 'Me' day and Christmas closure.
• Development fund - £100 annual learning fund, plus paid N Academy training (level 3, EY Degrees, Forest School & more).
• Family-friendly - Enhanced parental/fostering/neonatal leave after 2 years.
• Childcare - 40% discount, plus 6 emergency days annually.

Additional benefits

• Loyalty rewards - 5-year bonus: around-the-world trip + 2 bonus weeks off. 10-year bonus: "Out of this world" experience + 2 more weeks off!
• Leadership events - Our annual leadership conference for all managers to come together, share experiences, and build upon our culture.
• N Coaching & Mentoring - Empowering team members with access to 3 ILM-approved coaching programmes.
• Referral scheme - Earn up to £1 000 per successful hire.
• Amazing discounts - Save on groceries, shopping, fitness, and more.
• Travel support - Season ticket loans and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Socials & Wellbeing - Annual parties, team events, gym discounts, and online fitness.
• And much, much more!